Rooney, Scholes given three-match bans

London:

The English Football Association has rejected an appeal from Manchester United to overturn the three-match bans of Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes. "At an Independent Disciplinary Commission hearing today, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes had claims for wrongful dismissal rejected and will therefore both serve three-match suspensions," the FA said in a statement on Tuesday. Rooney and Scholes will miss games against Charlton on August 23, Watford on August 26, and Tottenham on September 9. Both players are eligible to play in United's opener against Fulham on August 19 because the suspension begins 14 days after the FA received the report from the Dutch Football Association - which it did on last Wednesday. The pair were both sent off in a 3-1 preseason win over FC Porto in Amsterdam on August 4 for violent conduct. Rooney picked up a red card and Scholes went off with two yellow cards. (AP)